Branding tool



Sept 9, 1947.

' HQ E. PRINCE BRANDING TOOL Filed March 10, 1944 Hqhy E.

Prince Patented Sept. 9, 1947 BRANDING TOOL Harry E. Prince, Louisville, Ohio Application March 10, 1944, Serial No. 525,846

3 Claims. (01. 101- g t Itis customary for the raisers of rabbits and other animals and poultry to apply a tattoo mark to the ears of the animals and wings of the poultry to indicate registration numbers, ownership and the like by means of numbers or letters or a combination of the two.

,This is accomplished by puncturing the ears or wings of the animal or fowl by means of a tool having numbers or letters or both, outlined by a series of pointed needles, a branding oil or ink being applied after the needles are withdrawn, penetrating the openings in the skin and leaving a permanent, visible tattoo mark upon the ear or wine.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a branding tool of this general character which is so constructed thatany desired combination of numbers and/or letters may be readily set up in the device for branding an animal or fowl. .i

Another object is the provision of a tool of this type capable of producing a great variety of combinations of numbers and/or letters without removing or replacing any part in the device.

A further object is the provision of a branding tool having a plurality of independently rotatable type wheels or drums each of which has a plurality of numbers or letters around its periphery.

A still further object is the provision of such a tool provided with stop means for simultaneously engaging all of the type wheels or drums so as to hold them in any desired adjusted position.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a tool of this character which is constructed in the form of a pair of pliers and provided with opposed jaws, one jaw carrying a plurality of rotatable type wheels or drums each having a plurality of numbers and letters around its periphery outlined by pointed needles, the other jaw having a comparatively soft cushion against which the ear or wing is placed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a branding tool of this character in which the stop means for holding the type wheels in adjusted position is in the form of a spring loaded, hollow rectangular frame adapted to engage over the outlined numbers or letters of the several type wheels to hold them against rotatable move- The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawings and following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved branding tool in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a branding tool embodying the invention, parts being broken away for the purpose of illustration;

Fig. 2 a front end elevation-of the tool; I

Fig. 3 a top plan view .of the upper jaw member of the tool; I I

Fig. 4 a similar view of the lower jaw member;

Fig. 5 a detached perspective view of the spring loaded stop member for holding the type wheels in adjusted position,..and

Fig. 6 anelevat'ion of one of thetype wheels;

Referring now more. particularly to the drawings, in which similar numerals refer to similar "the improved branding tool to and providedwith the handle portions I3'and I4 respectively which may be normally held in the position shown in Figure 1 as by the spring I 5.

A'c'hannelshape bearing bracket I6 may be fixed upon the jaw member II) as by the screws I! and carries a shaft or axle in the form of a bolt I8 upon which is mounted a plurality of wheels or drums I9 which may be slightly spaced apart as by the spacing washers 20.

Each type wheel surfaces 2| frame, the width of which is just slightly greater than the height of the numbers or letters whereby relative movement of the several type wheels will be prevented.

This stop member is mounted upon the channel bearing bracket 6 by means of the rearwardly extending pin 24, slidably mounted through an aperture 25 in the bearing bracket and provided at its free end with an eye or knob 26 by means of which it may be manually operated. A coil spring 21 is provided for normally urging the stop member into operative position against the type wheels.

The jaw member I I terminates in a transversely extending, elongated frame support 28 upon which may be mounted a cushion member 29 of 3 comparatively soft material such as rubber, leather, wood or the like.

When the branding tool is to be used the stop member 23 is withdrawn out of engagement with the needles upon the type wheels permitting the 5 wheel to be independently rotated to set up the desired combination of numbers and/or letters upon the lower sides of the type wheels, opposite to the shicc hthestor ember .23Joemg then, released s ithatit' engages the needles-of the lrow of numbers or letters across the rear side of the type wheels, holding the wheels in adjusted pow sition.

The ear or wing of the animal to be branded a is then inserted between the cushion.29 and-the. dependently rotatably mounted upon one jaw,

type wheels, and the handles I3 -and I4" are pressed together, the pointed needles atlthalowem side of the type wheel puncturing the flesh After. the needles are withdrawn and the too1 removed,

a brandin oil or ink is applied to the portion of the, skin ,which has been puncturedand pene trates the openings rin thelssameoleaving a permanent, yisible tattoomarkthereon-y Iclai-mo.

1. A branding tool-.otthatattoo ty'pe compris-" ing two pivotallys comtectedamemberscorre spending. eends pf which Iorm -jaws andf handles, a plurality of concentric polygonal numbeiawheels -inqependentlyzrotatablyi mounted up- 1.: ne sl m liQQC11 B S,- upon each; sflatfacerotr eachewheel; and an elongated, flat surfacesonethe.other -jawtcoperating with-the .ad-iaoent seriesof: characters Oil-fling: purnberewheelsiand tan; elongated .wire

charaeterawutlinedl bywpointed dependently rotatably mounted upon one jaw, characters outlined by pointed needles upon each flat face of each wheel, and an elongated, flat surface on the other jaw cooperating with the adjacent series of characters on the number wheels and an elongated spring loaded wire frame adjustably mounted upon the first mentioned jaw for simultaneously engaging one series of characters on ad-jacentflat faces of the number wheels f or holding -the. number wheels in adjusted position.

3. A branding tool of the tattoo type comprisirig two pivotally connected members corresponding iends of which form jaws and handles, a plurality of concentric polygonal number wheels incharacters outlined'by pointed needles upon each flat face of each wheel, an elongated, flat surface on-the'other jaw cooperating with the series of characters on the adjacent fiat faces of the number-:wheels' and am-elongated rectangular 'wire frame .adju'stabl'y mounted *upoh the-first me'n'=' tionedc jaw;said wire frame being ofa size and shape to enclose one con'ipl't --ser'ies of chara'cfters uponaad jacent 'flat facesof all of'th number wheels, and meanszfor-enelosirig'-said-wire frame ovenconet series==of saidcharactersto hold the numbenjwheels in.ladcusted positionl HARRY EFPRI'NCEF REFERENCES CITED The follow-ingreferences are *of reoord"'in' the' file of this patent? UNITED is'IfATEs PA'l-ENTs 

